Poltergeist
Poltergeist ''is the second extended play by 404, as well as the first release to be attributed to the name (all previous releases were released under the name Keeponrockin404). The E.P. was originally released to YouTube on July 9, 2016, and was uploaded to bandcamp that same day. Background ''Poltergeist ''began as an idea for a studio album follow-up to ''Steelhead. The album would contain a rock foundation with an abandonment of the 808 drums on the previous release in favor of real drum samples (that would later be used on The Great Unknown). Six instrumental tracks were finished for this Poltergeist ''project, including instrumentals for the songs "Stillborn Sisters" and "Bitter Friends," both of which would be used for later releases down the line. The album's title came from an instrumental track finished from the ''For the Fear of Obligation, I Run to My Past ''sessions, after that album had long since been cancelled. This song, "Poltergeist," would've been the opener to the album. This "Poltergeist" is not the title track that the E.P. contains, as the song was abandoned entirely. Louis made one avant-garde track to be a hidden track on the studio album ''Poltergeist, entitled "Don't Take My Word for It." This track used improvised live instrumentation along with shouts, whispers, and screams. After he decided to cancel the studio album project, citing his dislike for the instrumentals that he was creating, he used "Don't Take My Word for It" as the basis for what the E.P. would sound like. Recording and Production ''Poltergeist ''uses live instrumentation far more heavily than on any other 404 release. Louis recorded performances of bass guitar, keyboard, and drums. He was experienced in playing drum set, which is exemplified by the album's consistent percussion section, but inexperienced with the bass and keyboard. On these instruments, Louis recorded atonal performances, mostly strumming all five notes of his bass and slamming on his keyboard to create loud and dissonant sounds. The E.P.'s vocal performances were completely improvised and unwritten, and the lyrics were made up on the spot. The purpose of the vocals was not to craft a song, but rather to add to the noise. There is minimal production on the tracks that the E.P. contains. The track "Handstanding" uses FL Studio sounds far more heavily than any other track, although the other tracks use some programmed sounds as well. Every drum track is live, however. Music Musically, ''Poltergeist ''is completely atonal and dissonant. There are no melodies on the record. The recordings are gritty and lo-fi, and the vocal performances on top of this are loud and sporadic. The tracks do have structures, but these were decided after the first instrument track was recorded. For example, if the bass was recorded first, then every other instrument would follow what the bass was doing. Often times the drums were recorded first, however. The title track uses no drum track and instead only uses the keyboard and a bass synth also played on the keyboard. The track also uses some harsh feedback recording by placing the microphone directly in front of the speakers to Louis' PC. "The One Who Waits" is the closest that the album comes to a conventional song, using a verse-chorus structure but still containing no melody or theme in the music itself. Album Art In order to create a strange distorted visual landscape, Louis collected a few photos that he took out of a plane window at nighttime of the city below. He then combined three of these images together and layered them on top of each other. The colors were changed to a different hue, creating the green and purple tint. Track Listing Personnel Louis Falgout - vocals, bass guitar, keyboard, drums, maracas, tambourine, production, writerCategory:Albums Category:Extended plays